Appreciation

After a stressful day at work with uncooperative colleagues, or a tiring day at home with equally uncooperative kids, wouldn’t it be wonderful if your husband or partner surprises you with a gift to make up for your bad day? You would be thinking “What a gem of a man I got myself!”

Yes, getting a gift can make us feel all kinds of wonderful. We all love getting gifts, be it on special occasions like anniversaries, birthdays or even festivities like Christmas. Nevertheless, we trust that nobody, not even people who are obsessed with gifts, wants a ‘surprise’ they are not expecting.

The Right Stuff

You may be one of those women whose husband dutifully reads your mind, cheers to marital telepathy! If your other half always pleases you with his choice of gifts, be it that new Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeshadow palette that you have been eyeing or the satin Zara top that you have been sighing over, count yourselves lucky.

However, if your husband always tunes out whenever you are speaking and presents you with another vacuum cleaner for yet another year, you may not be thinking he’s such a gem at all. Instead, you may be mentally writing a list of methods to kill him!

Another Household Appliance?

What is the quirkiest gift your partner has ever gotten you?

Let me start with mine. For my first birthday after marriage, my husband was acting all mighty and smug because he said he figured out the best gift he can get for me. Naturally, I got excited as we counted down the days for my gift to arrive via post.

I was already dreaming along the lines of Chanel, Dior and Bobbi Brown. When my gift finally arrived, I was too numb to speak. It was a grill pan. I lost hope then. My husband and I have been married for almost four years now. Along the years, I have received an oven, a pressure cooker, a cake mixer and even car wipers as presents!
I thought I had it bad, that was until I found out what my dear friend received – a random leaf! Yes, you heard me right.

She was gifted a leaf by her partner who is a tad too focused on the environment. Being the sweet self that she is, she still keeps the leaf as a memento, to this day.

I also know a couple who didn’t get quite a right start with gifts. The wife lost her father on the day she got married. In a bid to make his wife happy, the husband ordered a rather large-sized canvas painting of her father as a gift. The wife could not stop crying in sorrow every time she looked at the picture. After that incident, the husband was definitely more careful about gifts!

I Tell You What I Want, What I Really, Really Want

To avoid all these messy gift situations, dropping hints of what you actually want, really could work wonders. Teacher Anita Karasu couldn’t agree more.

“Gifts should always be valuable to the person receiving them. It would be unfair to buy them your personal favorites. As a teacher, I dislike receiving a pack of red pens because most times only one or two would work or sometimes, none at all. I would have candles and soap bars lying in my drawer until it’s time for disposal because I am not a big fan of such gifts.

“That is why I honestly feel that it’s okay to drop hints. So, I try as much to drop hints. But don’t ever go on like a broken record!” she said.

Another way to get what you really want is to stop dropping hints and just straight up tell the giver what you want. Send links of examples, or prepare a wish list of some things you would really appreciate. Simple right? You get what you want, and the person giving the gift doesn’t have to keep guessing and stressing. Win-win situation. It doesn’t get better than that.

At the Heart of Gifts

But if you ponder deeply, do the types of gifts we receive really matter? The gifts should just be a little plus on top of the huge love you get from a person. After all, they did make an effort to get you a gift in the first place.

So, when your partner or husband gifts you with another kitchen appliance or that fake Prada handbag from Petaling Street (gasp!), take a deep breath, remember what’s important, and show some appreciation.

Because at the end of the day, as clichéd as it may sound, it is, honestly, the thought that really counts.

About

makchic is a Malaysian-based online parenting site for urban mothers and fathers. We are passionate about content and projects that reflect and support our chic, curious and spirited mums. We believe in the rich and diverse stories of parenthood that inform, support and uplift all families out there.